Highly Processed Foods Linked to Dementia Risk – The Practice of Healing

Dementia from the wrong diet?

If people have larger amounts of highly processed foods consume, which is associated with an increased risk of development mental illness linked to each other. The popularity of foods such as French fries and soft drinks may be one of the reasons for the high rates of dementia around the world.

In a new study, experts from Tianjin Medical University In China, the relationship between highly processed foods and the incidence of dementia has been examined. The results were published in the journalNeurologyPosted.

Data were evaluated from UK Biobank

The researchers used data from 72,083 people The UK Biobank. Participants were at least 55 years old and free of dementia at the start of the study. All participants were medically monitored for an average of ten years. During this period, 518 people developed dementia.

Diet determined by questionnaires

Participants were directed to At least two surveys To fill in what they ate and drank the day before. Then the experts determined how much highly processed food he consumed Grams These foods count.

This value was compared with the number of grams of other foods eaten. So the team was able to percentage It is highly processed foods in daily consumption. After that, the participants were four groups Sorted based on their consumption of highly processed foods.

What foods are highly processed?

Highly processed foods contain few healthy ingredients, such as Protein and fiberbut a large amount of Sugar, fat and salt.

According to the researchers, typical highly processed foods include soft drinks, salty and sugary snacks, ice cream, sausage, ketchup, mayonnaise, packaged guacamole, packaged bread, and flavored cereals.

Memory impairment due to an unhealthy diet

“Processed foods are supposed to be convenient and delicious, but they reduce the quality of the diet. However, these foods may also contain food additives or particles from packaging or from heating which other studies have shown to have negative effects on thinking and memory‘Study author reports Dr. Huiping Li in press release.

The doctor explained that the current study not only showed that highly processed foods are associated with an increased risk of dementia, but also showed that replacing these foods with healthy alternatives can reduce the risk of dementia.

How much highly processed food was eaten?

In the study, the average participants in the group who ate the least amount of highly processed foods were 225 grams per day what he consumes Nine percent matching their diet.

In contrast, these foods were in the group that ate the highest amount of significantly processed foods 28 percent (modified 814 grams per day) from the diet.

Beverages are often heavily processed

The team explained that the most important food group that contributed to the increased intake of processed foods was beverages, followed by sugary products and highly processed dairy products.

How many participants developed dementia?

Regarding dementia, it was found that in the group with the lowest intake of significantly processed foods 105 participants illness. On the other hand, there was already in the group that got the highest score 150 people.

Even after accounting for the various factors that influence the risk of developing dementia, there is an increased risk 25 percent For every increase in daily consumption of highly processed foods ten percent It was revealed, the team reports.

Eating a healthy diet significantly reduces the risk of dementia

At the discretion of the researchers, only the replacement will be ten percent One of the most commonly eaten foods that contain unprocessed or already under-processed foods with a change 19 percent associated with a reduced risk of dementia.

The results show that increasing the amount of unprocessed or minimally processed food by only 50 grams per day (eg half an apple) and at the same time decreasing the amount of highly processed food by 50 grams per day (a candy bar), by one or three percent, reduced the risk of dementia. .

“It is encouraging to know that small, manageable dietary changes can make a difference to a person’s risk of developing dementia“, Confirms Dr. Lee.

High-quality foods can still be processed

However, it is sometimes difficult to classify complementary foods into unprocessed, minimally processed, and highly processed. Dr. Maura E. Walker from Boston University in the editorial of the study.

According to the expert, for example, foods such as canned soup are categorized differently from home food. In addition, the degree of processing does not always correspond to the quality of the diet. For example, it is possible that vegan burgers, classified as high-quality, can be highly processed.

For better understanding of files The complexity of eating To develop, it should be borne in mind that there may be more Quality Reviews of the required nutrition, according to d. Walker (as)